Precious Things
by chanachan
Summary: Yuuhi Kurenai’s journey. About who she was and what made her who she is today. [Chapter Two]
1. Chapter One

**Precious Things  
**_So I run faster, but it caught me here  
_

Warning/s: Profanity.  
Author's Note: Yuuhi Kurenai's past. Title taken from the song by Tori Amos. The characters that are not part of 'Naruto' are of my own (including names, characterisations, and all that jazz). If I've made a mistake about Kurenai's past, then let me know, yo. Criticism is appreciated. Cheers-beers!

* * *

It was awkward sitting alone, since she was not used to it. Mostly, if not all of the time, she would have made sure that she was with, at least, two other people; maybe it was due to the fear of coming across as lonely, or even beginning to feel so. Either way, Kurenai would have gone through any sort of hassle to have others by her side, or, simply, not be seen at all. 

Though not popular, Kurenai seemed to have got on well with boys more than girls; even when she was a child, she chose to play cliché ninja games and sports, rather than picking flowers, dressing up and helping out with her mother. She was accepted amongst many of her boy friends as one of their own, with the sacrifice of being prone to insults from either jealous or amused female classmates.

She figured it was the environment that she was brought up in that made her feel more comfortable around males, and, in time, she came to accept it. She had long learnt how to deal with the bothersome schoolgirls- who would have found any reason to laugh at her- even if it meant to distance herself further more from ever having a true, female friend.

While cracking her knuckles, she began to hum a tune, trying to find some sort of entertainment in the vacant room, which had been so since she got there, an hour-and-a-half ago. The blackboard was spotless- apart from the scars that had been permanently scratched in to it- eager for somebody to smother it with chalk, once again. Even the floor and desks were unsoiled, appearing brand new, as if no teacher had paced about, or, no student had sat to learn.

When it came to eight-thirty, she was still unaccompanied by a friend, or foe, and began to speculate whether she had arrived too early or too late, cursing herself for being uncertain. Another ten minutes were wasted until she finally heard footsteps heading towards the classroom. She straightened her back before hurriedly changing her posture, so that she was leaning on her elbows on the desk, erasing the appearance of seeming too eager.

The door swung open and entered somebody she was not anticipating. "Kurenai?

"Goushi-Sensei! Where is everyone? I've been waiting for hours." she exaggerated.

The man, who everyone had their own tale to tell about the scars over his face, frantically walked towards his desk, rummaging around papers, which were scattered everywhere. "Kurenai, you're meant to be in room B21."

"What!"

"Hurry and go," he calmly directed, not ceasing his search. "I have a less-"

"Shit!" she interrupted, recalling instructions that were set the previous day, and ran out of the classroom.

"Oi!" Goushi called out. "No swearing!"

_'Shit, shit, shit! I'm so late!' _Even though classroom B21 was close by, it seemed to take forever to get there; each pace seemed more pointless than the last.

Not taking care of her surroundings, and only her feet, hoping that it would help lessen the distance, she bumped in to something, causing whatever it was to fall down with her.

"Look where you're going, you gorilla!"

"Shit," she muttered, rubbing her head. It was a familiar red-head, whom Kurenai would have pleasingly thrown off a cliff, if ever given the chance; Okada Chiyu. "If only your fat _ass _wasn't in the way!" she retorted, getting up and running off. Kurenai had heard her shout something out, but did not want to listen and understand; right now was not the time to pull out single strands of her hair due to frustration.

Finally, she got there, and the first thing she noticed was how few of her classmates had actually passed; she could have sworn there were more.

"Am I late?" she promptly asked the first person she saw, who simply shook her head and continued her conversation with her friends.

Kurenai sighed, relieved, and made her way towards usual faces. The room was just like the one she had been sitting in earlier, but smaller and less clean, its inhabitancy made known. The girls and boys had claimed their own sides of it, gathered in their own branches of friends. It, obviously, did not take her even a second to think about where she was going to sit.

"Finally made it?" Gen, a close friend of hers, asked, seeming glad to know that she was not too late.

Kurenai smiled, relieved that she did not have to be alone this time. "Yeah."

"We didn't think you were coming," a slightly plump boy added. "Where were you?"

"Uh… I woke up late," she lied, not wanting to share the embarrassing mistake she had made. "Where's everyone; how come only a few turned up?"

"They got sent somewhere else, I think-"

"No, they didn't," Gen interrupted. "They're scattered around the Academy, probably on their way, now."

A few minutes later and Kurenai was already diving in to a strong conversation with Gen and the other boy, expressions of amusement plastered to all of their faces.

"Oi, Yuuhi!" the voice that harshly called out her name was, once again, that of Chiyu. "How did _you _become a Genin? Only the talented ones graduated." The posse of girls behind her passionately giggled, as if what she had said was the funniest thing they had ever heard.

"Well," Kurenai calmly began, faking a smile. "They must have made the exams for idiots since they let you pass." This time, the boys around her laughed, encouraging the effect of the insult, intentionally, only wanting to see Chiyu feel stupid.

"Get lost, _idiot_," the plump boy, from before, added. Chiyu glowered, turned on her heel and walked off to the other side of the room, with her friends following.

_'Stupid idiots,'_ Kurenai thought as she continued her conversation, an amusing image of a flock of sheep following their shepherd.

As soon as a teacher walked in, everybody, without delay, silenced and sat down. A large portion of her life had been spent at the Academy, but this was the first time Kurenai had seen this lady. She wore an expression that made her seem sad, her black hair sat lifelessly on her shoulders, as if it was a punishment, and she made strange hand movements, which made her seem nervous. Most people suspected that she was a rookie Chuunin.

"Everyone in this room is a respectable Konoha shinobi," she began, giving no warning of speech. Her voice was soft, yet, it still held slight authority. "Don't think that just because you graduated that things will become easy. It gets harder and harder; you're only rookie Genin, remember that.

"Starting from today, you'll be paired up in teams of three; everybody has been equally divided depending on their abilities- to help create stable teams. Each group will have a Jounin teacher, and the four of you will complete various missions. When I announce your name, stay where you're sitting- you'll all get a chance to be with your team, afterwards. First group; Utsumi Miho…"

Kurenai quickly scanned the class, hoping- the same thing as others- that she got to be in a team with somebody she got on with. "Shit," whispered Gen, nudging her. "What if I get paired with Chiyu? I'd rather quit being a ninja."

She chortled for a moment, the feeling of slight anxiety returning. Just like everybody else in the class, she sat in silence, impatiently, waiting for her name to be read out, hoping to be teamed with the 'right' people.

"…and Sarutobi Asuma." Somebody, from the back of the room, moaned, causing a few people to snicker. "Third group; Fujihara Aiya, Yuuhi Kurenai and Ito Genji."

_'Great!' _she pondered, followed by a list of swear words.

A few giggles were heard from the other side of the room. "Look!" somebody shouted out, undoubtedly, one of Chiyu's devotees. "The first three-man team!" Almost everybody burst in to fits of giggles, even most of the boys, who could not resist the humour.

"Silence!" the teacher yelled, to which everybody, instantly, obeyed. "You're Genin, now!" she continued, the tone of her voice had changed and became somewhat bitter. "Shinobi don't mock their comrades! If you want to act like children, then _leave_! When you're in a dangerous situation, you'll need to support each other, not crack stupid jokes!" It seemed as if she had found her confidence, and continued to remain assertive as she continued.

"Why did I have to be paired with them?" she whispered, ignoring what groups everybody else was placed in. She rested her chin on her hands. "This isn't how I thought it'd be."

"It'll be alright," Gen assured. "Genji's a nice guy, I guess, but that Aiya can annoying, sometimes. Nothing you can't handle."

"_Who_ are they? I don't even know them."

"You're gonna have to, now, since you'll be with them for a long time."

As soon as everyone had been grouped, the teacher announced that it was time for lunch, which meant that others could get to know their team-mates if they wished to. A boy, with striking brunette hair, walked over to where Kurenai was sitting, his hands placed in his torn shorts. "Want to eat lunch together?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm your new team-mate, _obviously_! We should all eat lunch together."

"I can't," she immediately replied, slightly annoyed at the fact that he was standing only two inches away from her.

"Why?"

She looked around at her friends, hoping that one of them would help invent a decent excuse. When she realised that they were just as hopeless as her, she spoke, forcing a smile; "well… I promised these guys I'd eat with them."

His expression became slightly rigid; he could see through her lie. "That's alright. I'll catch you later." He walked off to the top of the classroom, provoking a conversation with, she guessed, her other team-mate.

"That's Aiya," Kurenai heard Gen whisper in her ear.

"I can tell."

Feeling slightly guilty, Kurenai walked towards the exit with two other people, scratching her head, which soon became an irritation. "Shit!"

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know!" She began digging her nails further in to her scalp, violently scratching it, moving towards her forehead. "My head feels like it's burning!"

"Stop scratching it; you'll make it worse!" Gen forced her hands by her side, finding it hard to keep them still.

"I can't help it!"

The idea that she had been shouting in front of those that were left in the room had never crossed her mind, until somebody pointed it out. "Yuuhi has nits!" Kurenai heard somebody exclaim- no doubt it was Chiyu, encouraging more repetitive, fake giggles from a few others. "Stay away from her!"

But, Kurenai did not care. She wanted the tempting urge to rip her skin apart to stop, thinking about it only made it feel worse, she learned. Anger was building itself up in her mind, cementing it together with frustration; whatever was happening to her, she wanted to blame somebody.

And, immediately, she did; ignoring Gen scolding her, she turned to face Aiya. There he sat, with her other team-mate, a satisfied grin carved in to his round face. Needing not to assume, she ran towards him; "I'm gonna kill you, you little shit!"

Kurenai felt an intolerable pressure pull her back, causing her to trip and fall on to the ground; giggles from those that stayed behind were served as desert. It was the Chuunin teacher; no words could have described her expression.

"Let me go!"

"Shut up!" she ordered, pulling Kurenai by the arm and out of the room.

"Just let me go!" she retaliated, aware that she had no chance in winning over one with a Chuunin, yet, she did not care. "Let me _go_!"

"Let's get this powder off from your hair, first," she reasoned. Her voice seemed more compassionate and caring this time, even though Kurenai had refused to stop shouting.

Grabbing the student's arm and pulled it with force (a method of discipline that she did not use on little children, Kurenai hoped). "Listen! Let me wash this out of your hair, or you'll scar yourself."

For the first time, Yuuhi Kurenai obeyed, despite feeling enraged, and tried to suppress her fury. Her red eyes, she finally realised, were leaking tears, and there was blood at the tip of her nails and fingers. The teacher gestured her to lean on to her knees, resting the back of her neck on to the sink.

"It's an allergic reaction."

"I'm not allergic to anything, though." A sudden burst of cold water invaded her head, accidently pouring on to her face, though she did not care; at first, it felt as if a million needles were being jolted in to her, but, soon enough, a satisfying sense of pleasure took over.

"Well, you are to whatever he put in your hair. Don't worry; go to the school nurse and she'll sort it out for you."

After another couple of minutes of rinsing the powder out of Kurenai's hair out with water, the teacher turned off the tap. "I can guess what you're thinking, so, no. Go _straight _to the nurse. I'll have a talk with him and inform his Sensei."

"Like that would do any help," she muttered, expecting to be scolded for being cocky, but nothing happened.

"Now."

Obediently, she made her way towards the medical room, swearing at everybody in her mind- at Aiya, Chiyu, the teacher and even the school nurse, who would have treated her like a little child, which she did. After a few hugs, pampering and healing, Kurenai was ready to go back to her lunch, with sweets- courtesy of the ever-so-kind nurse.

She came out of the medical room and remembered that she had left her friends at the last minute; they were probably with their team-mates; it would have been far too troublesome to search for them. Not caring to randomly throw insults at Aiya, she walked in to an empty classroom, infuriated. Once again, she recalled that she had left her lunch back in B21, which led to more swearing and half-an-hour of sulking in the sunlight, trying to dry her hair.

In time, she went back, not caring that she was slightly late, truth be told. When she walked in, everybody broke the eerie silence and begun to giggle and whisper, only to be hushed by the Chuunin teacher. A few of the teams were making their way out with their Jounin instructors, looking either intimidated or lazy.

"You're late," Genji immediately stated when Kurenai walked towards him and Aiya, who gave her an intense glare before turning his head around- the teacher must have really knocked some sense in to him, she hoped.

"So?"

"So, we could have left without you."

"Oh, well. You're still here," she calmly replied, arguing with herself that she should have said either 'stop talking to me' or 'shut the hell up'; she would have only been told off.

Whereas everybody was force to, they, by choice, happily remained silent. Soon enough, the door swung open and four Jounin entered, each of them politely calling out for their teams, except for one. "Which one of you kids is Team Three?"

He was not like the other Jounin that they had ever seen; his thick-framed glasses complimented his extremely thin frame and long face, which made him look as delicate as a large plate of glass, as well as a clown.

"Well?" he demanded, not taking off the proud smile that he wore in to the room. Genji stood up, followed by Aiya, which meant that it was Kurenai's turn to introduce her face, too. "Come on, then. Let's go." He walked out, not waiting to see if they followed.

The three Genin hesitated for a moment before they moved, trailing six feet behind their new teacher. It was fair to say that they had expected somebody who would have presented themselves wearing typical Konoha uniform, as well as have the worries and experiences of many missions expressed over their face. This Jounin, however, wore pants that could have been wrapped around him three times and a skin-tight t-shirt, which emphasised his pencil-like arms.

"Is it me or does he look like he's starving?" asked Aiya, forgetting that he was refusing to talk to Kurenai.

"He's much stronger than he seems, "Genji juxtaposed, moving slightly ahead of the other two.

"How would you know?"

"He's a Jounin, isn't he?" Nobody bothered to say anything else to him, knowing that he was right.

The confusion in Aiya's expression became blatant as soon as they were outdoors, which made Kurenai laugh to herself; he reminded her of one of the human-like water fountains that were in her garden (a necessity of her father's), though she could not put her finger on what exactly was in contrast. "Where are we going?" he finally asked, speaking the words that the other two thought.

"The park," their new teacher simply said, refusing to add anything else.

When he told them that they were to go to a park, they had imagined the one that sat on the outskirts of the field, not the one that was used for little children. _'He's so _weird_,' _Kurenai thought as he stopped in front of the swings.

"Sit on the swings, if you want," he suggested, which could have, more or less, been an order. "Or," he began, since the three simply stared at him. "You can stand there for the next hour, or two."

"You expect us to sit on swings that are meant for _kids_?" she asked, snarling.

"No. I'm expecting you to listen to your sensei if you want to remain Genin." Quickly, they each claimed their own small swing and sat on them, bearing the slight pain of the metal rubbing in to their hips. "I'm Nakamoto Etsuya, though you guys can call me Etsuya-Sensei or Master."

'_He can't be serious...' _Kurenai resisted the urge to throw in a sarcastic comment, or two.

"As you genius ninja may know, I'm going to be keeping you under my wing from now on."

'_No shit.'_

"Normally, I'd tell you all to hold hands, but, since you're not little children, you can just introduce yourselves." He looked at Aiya and smiled. "What's your name?"

"M'name's Fujihara Aiya."

"Ah," he whispered, moving his attention to Kurenai. "What about you?"

"Yuuhi Kurenai."

"Ah, yeah. Our mothers know each other; she's a wonderful lady." Kurenai diverted her eyes to the ground. "And, you?"

"Ito Genji."

"Like I said, you can call me Etsuya-Sensei." He adjusted his glasses, still smiling- maybe he was excited, far more than any of his students were. "Let's get to know each other better, shall we?"

"Do we have to?"

"Yes we do, Aiyba."

"Aiya."

"I can already tell that you're the loud one." Aiya snarled, whereas Genji and Kurenai held back a slight smirk. Maybe Nakamoto Etsuya was not as bad as he looked, they thought. "As I was saying, let's find out a few things about each other before I move on to important things."

"Like what?" Kurenai questioned, resisting the urge to swing back and forth.

"Well, I'd say that you three tell each other what you like, what you hate, your hobbies and dreams. And, maybe even who you fancy." Nobody replied; they stared at him with blank expressions. "No? Forget the last bit, then. Aiyba--"

"_Aiya_!"

"Why don't you start off, since you look like you have something to say?"

The young boy frowned and answered, with slight reluctance. "I like reading comics and pulling pranks on stupid people, because they fall for it easily. I dislike stupid pe--"

"You little _shit_!" Kurenai's fist had already prepared itself for a journey to Aiya's stomach, or, hopefully, his face.

"Oi. No insulting; you three are on the same team, now. Learn to respect each other." Etsuya let them dwell upon his words for a moment before continuing. "What about your hobbies and dreams?"

"I want to be the strongest shinobi in Konoha! And... Maybe the richest, too."

"Typical," Kurenai interrupted. "_Everybody _wants to be the strongest, you idiot. Obviously, not _everyone _makes it."

"And how would you know?"

"Only two have made it out of dozens of boys who wanted to be the strongest. If you haven't guessed, they're called _Hokage_."

"Why the hell don't you tell us your stupid dreams then?"

"Genji can go first."

"Why not you?"

"I don't mind," Genji said, as he spoke for the first time since they all had sat down. From an angle, Kurenai took notice, he was slightly decent looking; his black hair shone in the sunlight, and he did not look half-bad when he made those stern expressions, as if he was pissed off with the world.

"Ew," she muttered under her breath, recovering from her possible five second fancy.

"I enjoy collecting things, especially those that hold worth. I dislike loud and arrogant people and sea food. Sharing my dreams with people I don't know is too personal. At least, for now."

"That's fine," Etsuya said, seeming impressed with what Genji had said. "Finally," he began, turning to Kurenai, "what about you?"

"Um... Well, I like hanging out with my friends, I guess, and fighting with them." She paused for a moment, reminiscing. "I dislike idiots," she cast a glance towards Aiya, who snarled.

"You think beating people up is a _hobby_?"

"Shut up or I'll punch your face in!" Strangely enough, her comment had made Genji laugh to himself, which somewhat sounded as if he was in pain.

"Carry on," their teacher said, distracting their anger.

"That's it. I don't really do anything else."

"What about your dreams?"

Kurenai's voice lowered and she began to look at the ground, again. "I don't know."

Etsuya nodded, though he still wanted her to continue. "What do you want to accomplish in life, in the future?"

"I don't know; I've never thought there was a point to think about that."

"How can you _not _have a dream? What do you want to be when you're older?"

The loud-mouthed boy was feeding her anger whenever he opened his mouth. He sounded like her father; at least, the arrogance matched well. She mentally laughed, knowing that they would have made a decent father-son bond. "A ninja, you idiot, what do you think?"

"That's lame," he stated. "We're _all _going to be ninja when we're older; at least think of something better."

"If we're going to be ninja, then why would she need to think of something else?" Genji pointed out, much to Kurenai's surprise.

"All of you can shut up, now." The thin man, though secretly amused, glared at them. "If you're going to act like babies, then quit being ninja. You're in a _team_- if you can't support each other, _help _each other, then leave."

'_That's what the other lady said. They've probably read it from a leaflet.' _The thought of her teachers from the Academy standing in line, reading the same text, made her smile. If Kurenai could not make insults out loud, then she could at least think of them to herself, and, possibly, repeat them to Gen later on.

"I guess you all want to stay, then," Etsuya firmly concluded, since the new Genin remained seated in their uncomfortable positions. His irritating smirk had appeared again. "Good. Now that we know each other, try to get along. It's part of being a strong shinobi, to support comrades. Most importantly, take note that you three haven't officially been accepted as Genin, yet."

"What do you mean?" Everybody shot perplexed expressions at him, wanting immediate answers. "We all graduated from the Academy."

"Hmm. You did, didn't you? Well, that means that it's time to choose nine ninja that are qualified and capable of being true Genin."

"What! What do you mean? We all _passed_!"

"Again with the loudness, Aiyba."

"It's _Aiya_!" he exclaimed, feeling extremely aggravated. "What kind of sensei are you? You can't even remember my name, and it's the easiest out of the lot!"

Ignoring Aiya's personal annoyance, Genji began to ask his own questions. "What if we don't make the cut?"

Etsuya's smirk widened as he adjusted his glasses, again. "Well, you get sent back to the Academy. Tomorrow, I'll be setting you three a test. If you fail, you go back, but, if you pass, you all become Genin."  
Kurenai tightened her grip around the chain, speaking after a while. "This is stupid. If we fail, we'll have to spend another year learning what we already know."

"If you know, then you won't fail." She did not reply, unsure of what to say.

Everything became unpleasantly calm; even Etsuya refused to speak a word. Kurenai felts her throat close in and her stomach churn. She was unsure what was worse; being on a team with a loud-mouth and a snob, or going back to the Academy for another year. _'This idiot's going to drive me crazy... Mother and Father will kill me if I fail, though. What's wrong with these sick people? Aren't exams enough for them?'_

"Stop that," Etsuya finally said, frowning at Kurenai. "It's annoying."

It took her a while, but she understood that he had been referring to her cracking her knuckles. "Oh, sorry... I can't help it, sometimes."

"Learn to break the habit, or I'll force you to."

'_Jerk. I'll force you to eat something if you don't stop smiling.' _An empty threat she did not have the guts to share.

"Be here at noon, tomorrow. Bring your ninja equipment and brains; you'll need them." He dully noted the expressions on his student's faces and simply smiled, something, the students realised, they would have had to get used to if they passed. "Don't worry- if you're worthy, you'll be Genin by tomorrow evening."

"The test is going to be _that _long?"

"Depends if you pass quick enough, or not." Kurenai clenched her fist out of frustration, not caring if the others noticed, since they probably felt the same as her; she cursed the Academy and Etsuya. "You can sit here all day, if you want," the Jounin called out as he began to walk away. "Or, you can go home."

Instantly, the two boys stood up and made their way back together, discussing their teacher and what the test could be about. Kurenai, instead, remained on the swing and dived in to the urge of pushing herself back and forth, not caring that it hurt her hips.

* * *

"So?" 

"So, what?"

"How did it go?"

Kurenai shrugged and continued to eat her food. "It was alright, I guess."

Her father, who had been eager to talk to her since she walked through the door, frowned. "A little more detail would be appreciated, Kurenai."

"Sorry, Father. They put us in teams of three--"

"Obviously!" her older brother (only by age and not maturity, she often claimed) interjected. "Who's your teacher? Who's in your group?"

"Hitoshi. Let her finish." The strong tone in her father's voice was enough to make the her brother bow his head and apologise, knowing it was wrong to disobey him.

"They put me with two other boys, Genji and Aiya. I don't like them."

"You don't think like that about your comrades, Kurenai. From today, you're friends, so protect them like you would us."

"Yes, Father..." This time, it was Kurenai's turn to bow her head.

Everybody continued to eat their food in silence; it did not take her father another three minutes before he began to ask more questions. "Who's your Sensei?"

"Nakamoto Etsuya."

"Which one is he?" he asked, curiously.

"Uh... He has glasses and--"

"Hibiki's son," the last family member, Kurenai's mother, spoke, unenthusiastically.

Once again, the room entered another zone of tranquillity. The sound of everybody else chewing their food was heard in detail; it annoyed Kurenai, who wanted to say anything to break it. She was not in the mood to have another awkward moment at the dinner table. "Tomorrow we have to do one last test. If we pass, we become official Genin."

"Only nine can pass," her mother said, not looking at her. "You'll be one of those nine."

She nodded, knowing that they were not words of encouragement, but of order. "Do well," her father added.

"You'll be fine! If you want, I can help you train a bit for tomorrow."

"No," her father said, stopping Hitoshi from making any promises. "She needs to rest; otherwise she might be too tired. She proved us wrong by graduating and she'll prove us wrong again, tomorrow."

'_Thanks...'_ she mocked, getting up. "I'll be in the garden if anyone needs me." She did not want to stay and encourage the slight sorrow; not in front of everybody else. By then, she would have been used to expecting words like that from her parents, but it was slightly hard to endure them, sometimes, especially when they became too repetitive.

Outside, the weather was warm, dressed with a very faint breeze. When was that never the case in Konoha, Kurenai wondered. Sat on the bench that she usually occupied was a somewhat large spider. "Wonderful," she said to herself, pulling out a kunai from her weapon bag. Without delay, she threw it at its torso.

"You're so stupid," she whispered, as she lifted the Kunai and threw it away, not caring that the spider was frantically moving its legs in agony. "You'll fail and you'll never hear the end of it."

She had not realised that Hitoshi had walked out of the house, too, and was making his way towards her, until he called for her. "You better go to sleep, soon, or you'll be too sleepy for tomorrow."

"Hitoshi-niichan... It's only seven."

"Yeah..."

Kurenai wanted him to go away- the reason why she walked out in the first place was so that she could escape them, and Hitoshi sitting next to her did not help at all.

"You'll be alright, tomorrow."

"Yeah?"

He smiled and nodded, even though Kurenai doubted so. "It's easy; you might as well call yourself a Genin, now. Mother and Father will be proud."

"Not if I fail."

Hitoshi did not reply; talking about their parents was something that Kurenai avoided, and he was well aware that she would have only changed the subject if he tried to explain their feelings, doings and expectations. "Y'know... If you fail, I'll still be proud of you."

Neither of the two said anymore. When Hitoshi made his way back in to the house, Kurenai smiled and leaned back. "Thanks," she whispered, a hint of geniality in her voice.

* * *

"You all made it on time? I'm impressed." 

"It's only twelve, Etsuya-Sensei. We've been up earlier than this."

"I'll keep that in mind for our next meeting." He adjusted his glasses once more, wearing his predictable smile. "I'm surprised you all showed up- I had expected you to _forget_ you had to come out, today."

"Yeah, yeah," Aiya mumbled. "Something's different about you."

"Hmm?"

"You look different."

Genji pointed at Etsuya's torso, unenthusiastically. "Your clothes; why are they different from before?"

"Oh?" he looked at what he was wearing, which seemed to have been what most of the other Jounin were seen in- a jacket, trousers that fit him and a decent-sized t-shirt. "That was a joke. Thought I'd make you all think that I was a bit... weird."

Kurenai rolled her eyes, hoping that he would not always be like this, if they were to remain in a team. "It worked well _without _the clothing."

"No need to be cocky; you have a test, remember?" Everyone stared at him, remembering the purpose of their meeting. "Just keep in mind that you'll be shaping your future starting from now. Whether you pass, or not, it doesn't matter; just don't get hurt, or I'll get in trouble."

**tbc**


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**  
_My loyalties turned, like my ankle, in the seventh grade, running after Billy, running after the rain._

Warning/s: Profanity and mentioned incest.

Author's Note: Yuuhi Kurenai's youth. Yuuhi Kurenai's youth. The characters that are not part of 'Naruto' are of my own (including names and characterisations, yo). See you around, maybe sometime soon? Cheers-beers!

* * *

"You're late," Aiya said, beaming; it was a rare occasion to taunt his team-mate and he would have done his best to grab it. "We could have gone without you." 

"Shut up. I have a reason, something you two never do."

"Oh?" Kurenai raised an eyebrow, her eyes danced with amusement. "What's your 'reason', then?"

"You won't understand." Genji straightened out his jacket and quickly changed the subject. "Why aren't you wearing your uniform?" he asked, staring at Kurenai.

"Sorry, Daddy, but I didn't want to."

Aiya moved himself directly in front of her. "Oi, that's not fair! Etsuya-Sensei made us wear it, so you have to, too." He glared at her, hoping she would have been intimidated by him, which, needless to say, she was far from.

"I don't have to wear anything."

"That's disgusting!"

Kurenai twitched, clenching her fist. "Shut up, you idiot."

From behind, somebody's shadow joined with hers, which caused her to stop throwing more insults towards Aiya. "Good morning, Kurenai!" From the look on her team-mates' faces, she could tell that it was somebody they did not know.

"Who are you?" Aiya asked, not once having thought that he sounded impolite.

"I've seen you around," Genji began. "You're a Chuunin, aren't you?"

"Yeah," the boy replied, though Kurenai refused to turn around and talk to him.

"A friend of Kurenai's, I'm guessing?"

The boy hesitated for a moment before replying; "oh, no. My brother's friends with Kurenai's brother, so I thought I'd say 'hi' to her."

"Well, aren't you going to talk to him?"

She glared at Aiya before she looked at her shoes, as if they had something on them that fascinated her. "I'm not going to turn around and talk to somebody I don't know."

"It doesn't matter. I have to get going, anyway." And with that, he walked away, his shadow separating from hers and becoming smaller with every step she heard.

"You're so rude, sometimes. No, wait. _All _the time."

"Oh, just shut up. Why am I going to talk to somebody I don't know?"

"We don't even know-"

"Forget it," Genji interrupted. "We better go, now. He's probably waiting for us."

The three walked to their sensei's home at a steady pace; Aiya had diverted conversation back to Kurenai's uniform, or, rather, lack of. "Why can't you just put it on, like everybody else?"

"You're so annoying! Just shut up for once, 'kay?" Kurenai sighed and walked ahead of the two, hoping that she would, for once, be ignored by Aiya.

"When will you all learn to get on?" At the bottom of the stairs, to a block of apartments, stood Etsuya, his trademark grin presented well on his face. "Can't we all just be friends?"

"When Aiya learns how to shut up, of course..."

"Shut up, bitch!"

"Oi." Etsuya scolded. "_No _swearing. You're not a kid that I have to keep on telling off."

"But, she's not wearing her uniform, Etsuya-Sensei!"

"Where's your uniform, Kurenai?"

She looked down at her red and white combination of clothing and bandages, which made her stand out amongst others around her, and played on an innocent smile. "It's at home. I made this myself; don't you like it?"

"Oh, yeah! It brings out the colour of your eyes." Kurenai blushed and thanked him, even though she knew that he was being enthusiastic to encourage Aiya's anger.

"Does that mean I can wear what I want to, too?" The rowdy teenager did not get a reply, which meant that he had lost the argument. There was no point in continuing if Etsuya had made up his mind.

Genji, on the other hand, wanted to get ahead with the day. "What's our first mission?"

"Mission? No missions today, kids." He smirked and adjusted his glasses, ready to ease the confused expressions on their faces. "Well, even though completing missions is vital during these hardships, I requested, from Yondaime-Sama, to give us today off. Only today, though."

"Why?" asked Kurenai, frowning. She figured there was something behind this, there always was with their teacher.

"To celebrate Kurenai becoming a Chuunin, of course!" The black-haired girl blushed once more, refusing to look at Aiya, who, she suspected, was grinning, just to embarrass her. "I'll treat you all to lunch and you can go home early."

"Great!" Aiya exclaimed and cupped his hands together. "Who's up for sushi?"

"No." Genji and Kurenai replied in unison.

"Why?"

"Sushi is horrible, that's why. Choose something that we'll all like."

"Now, now, children. Since it's Kurenai's time to shine, she can pick."

A hint of gratitude was present in her voice; "really?" It was rare that somebody would have treated her after she achieved something; the last time, as far as she could remember, was when Hitoshi took her out for ramen when she was accepted in to the Academy. "Well, how about we go to _Chiko's_?"

Etsuya began to walk, without warning, something that the three of them were used to. Whether they followed him or not was entirely up to them. "_Chiko's _it is, then."

After minutes of Aiya trying to make Kurenai change her mind (and greatly failing), they four arrived, seating themselves at a table. "Thanks for this," Kurenai said, after they had all ordered what they wanted to eat.

"You deserve it. You've greatly improved during these past few years and I'm proud of you. Of all of you."

Aiya covered his slightly red cheeks, pretending that he was scratching them, and looked at the table; Genji and Kurenai diverted their eyes elsewhere, feeling the same. "Are we meant to hug you, now, or something?"

Everybody laughed, breaking the thin layer of awkward silence. "Only if you give me a kiss, too, Aiyba."

"Shush!" the young boy commanded, placing a finger on his own lips. "_Stop _calling me that!"

Etsuya ignored him and resumed his conversation with Kurenai. "How did you parents take the news?

"Oh, they were over the moon," she eagerly lied.

"So they should be; you deserve it."

Kurenai shifted in her seat and, with her fingers, straightened out a knot in her hair. "You're just being nice; you said the same when these two became Chuunin, too."

"That's because I mean it. You're a strong shinobi."

"If I'm so great, then why did it take me four tries to catch up?" Nobody said anything for a moment. _'Probably thinking of something to say,' _she thought.

"You shouldn't compare yourself with us. It's not a race."

"Genji's right. We're not competing against you; we do everything at our own pace and own ways."

"Wow!" Etsuya placed his palm on his cheek, seeming rather shocked. "_Aiya_ said something smart!" The boy glared at his teacher, though he secretly felt pleased with himself. "They're right, though, Kurenai. You became a Chuunin because you were ready. You're strong and have amazing skills. If you replaced your sarcasm with confidence, you'd be one of the best Chuunin around."

Kurenai smiled at everybody, though she felt somewhat ridiculous. She was somebody who refused to receive sympathy or words of encouragement. As much as they would have made her feel better, her father referred to them as words that only made people weak rather than strong. He was probably right, she often told herself, since he was a strong Jounin. Yet, she could not help the way she felt.

The food arrived just in time, giving them all a chance to start a fresh discussion. "Itadakimasu!" Etsuya said, followed by everybody else.

"Did you hear about Hatake Kakashi?"

"I know and don't care. So, don't repeat it," Genji said.

"I don't know," Kurenai added. "What happened?"

"He's a Jounin, now! He's only a year younger than us, too."

"Kakashi's just a pretty boy," she immediately added, slightly annoyed. "Who cares, anyway."

"Hatake Kakashi is a strong and honourable ninja; you all should respect him rather than being jealous."

"I'm not jealous!" Aiya juxtaposed. "I was just saying."

"If you say so." Etsuya finished his ramen and ordered more. "Don't forget, we have to meet in the usual place, later on."

"What! You said we could have the day off!"

"I lied."

"I thought shinobi didn't lie," Kurenai pointed out, sarcastically.

"Fine, fine. I _joked_. We have an important mission tomorrow, so we have a lot to go over."

"Why not now?"

Their teacher shook his head as he began to eat his rice. "I have a mission after this. You three can have the afternoon off, but be ready at the start of the evening."

Aiya whined, Kurenai sighed and Genji remained silent; something that Etsuya was, without a doubt, accustomed to.

* * *

"Are you sure you've never done this before?" 

"_No_. And stop acting like you have."

"Relax," he chuckled as he moved a lock of her black hair away from her face, kindly tucking it behind her ear. Kurenai mentally snarled; it was like something out of a tasteless film. "This, Yuuhi Kurenai, is my present to you. Congratulations on passing."

_'This is so pathetic...'_

"I found out what to do."

_'Play along... play along... Just play along...' _She did not know why she was finding it hard to act as if she was interested in him. Granted that Kurenai did find him slightly attractive, he was still arrogant when he became comfortable. She simply wanted to get it over and done with.

He was desperate for her to ask him 'how', she could tell. "Oh?"

"I've seen other people do it."

For the first time within that hour, she looked directly in to his dark eyes, disgusted rather than infatuated. "You're not serious, are you?" Her red eyes questioned his.

"It's the only way I know how. I've seen a few people do it on the street, in the hiding, on the TV and my parents, too."

Her face gave way for an look of extreme repulsion. "That's disgusting!"

"I can't help it!" he added in his defence.

_'You sick liar!'_

"They just do it in front of me! I only got a few glances, but I've figured out what to do." A smirk emerged on his face. "It looks kinda fun, too."

_'Finally... He's going to do it, now.' _Kurenai hardly had a moment's worth of contemplation before she saw his lips open apart, slightly. He leaned towards her; his tongue moved away from its sitting position, which, frankly, made her feel slightly nauseated.

She closed her eyes and went for the dive, and, as expected, it was wet. The other obvious thing she noticed was his taste; he had taken a mint before, she could easily tell. Though, the fact that they mixed their spit together made her want to stop, which she, with force, resisted.

Neither of them were aware of what they were doing and what was going wrong, or not. Their tongues moved in the same direction, not letting them work in agreement. It was hard to think of what they were to do next since other notions filled their minds.

"Mmm, wait!" She pushed him away, slightly, and frowned. "I thought you knew what you were doing."

"I do!"

"What the hell was _that_, then? Aren't we meant to make our tongues move around each other?"

The boy rolled his eyes, which made her want to hit him. "How would you know?"

"Just because I don't watch my parents kiss doesn't mean that I don't understand what to do." His face violently flushed a light shade of red; Kurenai knew that he was probably regretting the fact that he had told her. Amused, she moved closed to him and whispered; "do it properly this time."

Once again, their faces met and mouths gave way to one another. At least, this time, the flavour and feeling was familiar, which comforted her in a strange way. Their tongues moved in opposite directions, gently massaging each other, teasing the other, a tickling sensation overwhelmed her.

It was not as magical as other girls had claimed it to be. The idea of having somebody's saliva in her mouth made her feel light-headed and the repetitive movements were becoming boring, too. The teenage male, however, lived up to his hormones and cherished every moment of it. His body gently pushed hers back and his hands were violently moving up and down her back. It was not much of a surprise to Kurenai when one of them made its way towards her breast.

"No!" she directed, pushing him away. "I told you before, you idiot." Though she dared not to admit it, Kurenai enjoyed his touch, but was keener on finding an explanation to leave.

"Sorry," he muttered, looking at the ground, too humiliated to speak any louder. "I forgot."

"Whatever," she said, straightening out her top that he had, without hesitation, creased. "I have to go home, anyway."

"It's only the afternoon..."

"Yeah, I have things to sort out." She turned on her heel and quickly adjusted her hair, even though it needed no pampering. "And the next time you see me, don't do what you did today. Only talk to me if I say 'hi' first, 'kay?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that..." She walked off at a fast pace, refusing to look back. "See you tomorrow, then!" she heard him call out, but did not reply. Instead, she continued to walk home, slowing down every now and then and even making a few stops to spit.

_'I'm never doing that again,' _she promised, scoffing. _'That was so gross...' _It took her an entire week to decide whether she wanted to go through with kissing Taji; sometimes, she even thought that she was turning in to another Chiyu, wanting to grab the attention of a boy.

Kurenai did not admit it to herself in sure words, but she knew she was being left behind. Most of the girls she knew bragged about their 'first kiss', asking others if they had had theirs, yet. Even Aiya and Genji had had their turn with girls, which made her feel even more daft, knowing how hard it must of been for them to do that. She was trying her best to catch up with her two team-mates, but always seemed to be one step behind.

Perhaps she _wanted _something special- just like a tale out of a cliché romance novel and the dreams of a young kunoichi. On the other hand, maybe she was just a dupe who sold herself cheap. _Very_ cheap. Either way, Kurenai did not regret doing it; it was over and done with, despite the fact that it was with an conceited idiot, who was just as desperate as her.

One thing was for sure. Yuuhi Kurenai had planned never to share her saliva with somebody for a _very _long time.

Around the corner of a road stood Aiya, looking frustrated- Genji, who stood by his side, seeming satisfied, had probably offended him. "See you guys later on," she hastily said, in hope that they would have left it at that, which, thankfully, they did.

Within time, she had made it home. Kurenai did not really want to be inside so early, but if she was outdoors, there was a big chance of seeing Taji, who would have ignored her orders and spoke to her. He was the last person she would have wanted to be seen with and had plans to keep it that way.

"Why are you back?" was the first thing she heard as soon as she opened the front door.

"Etsuya-Sensei sent us off early," Kurenai politely justified while she took her shoes off. "He just wanted to celebrate me becoming a Chuunin, but we have to meet later on." She had hoped that her mother would have left the conversation to die.

"Even if it did take you more than three tries to make it?" There was no sort of comfort of encouragement in her words. "Don't you have any missions?"

_'Obviously not... And it was only four tries.' _Kurenai went to sit opposite her mother, by the table- who was unhurriedly drinking tea- knowing it was best to do so. "Not today, Mother. He let us come home early."

"That's apparent." The Jounin sipped on her tea with her eyes closed and chin held up high, something that she had been doing for a long time. If somebody had walked in on her mother, they would have suspected that she had fallen asleep. Even Kurenai had always wanted to throw something at her, just to make sure that she was not dozing off every now and then.

"Is it alright if I went to my room, Mother?"

"Why?"

_'Anything to get away from you, _Mother_.'_

Kurenai hesitated, unsure of what to say. "What will you do in your room?"

"I... I need to prepare for the meeting and tomorrow's missions."

"You'd be better prepared if you bothered to train. It took you a long time to become a Chuunin, didn't it? I would have expected you to figure that out, Kurenai."

"Sorry, Mother," she whispered, looking at the table. Not a single sarcastic remark ran through her mind; she knew that her parent was right.

"Well?" she demanded, opening her red eyes to enforce authority better on her daughter. "Don't just sit here. Do something useful. I've had enough of you playing ninja."

"Yes, Mother." Immediately, Kurenai stood up and walked towards the garden door.

"Kurenai."

"Yes, Mother?"

"I expect better things from you. Learn to take responsibility. Don't say 'yes, Mother' if you're not going to listen to me."

Everybody in the small clan of the Yuuhi had learned, from a young age, that talking back to an elder, _especially _a parent, was forbidden. Kurenai was aware of this, just like everybody else. It was a rule that had been hammered in to her and Hitoshi's minds since they were born. The Yuuhi clan believed in keeping itself in a close-nit manner, which meant that marrying cousins was accepted and, most of the time, enforced. Neither of the two had ever had cousins who had a perspective of parenthood from somebody outside of the family. They both learned about the touch of a mother from their friends.

She could not help it. A similar feeling took over her body from when she leaped off the roof of her house, as a child. Her body held her back, explaining that it was dangerous, yet, her mind told her to 'jump'. So, she did, not caring it was wrong. That her father had caught her from below was pure luck. Kurenai was alone now, though, nobody was around to save her this time.

"I just won't say anything in front of you then, alright?"

"What?"

"All you're going to do is tell me that I've failed and make me feel stupid!"

"Kurenai!" The woman stood up, spilling her drink, and glared at her daughter. "Watch what you say."

"I'm sorry, Mother, but what do you _want _from me? Everything I do is wrong or not enough!" Her vision became blurry and, soon enough, her cheeks were wet; it was the one thing she never wanted to do in front of her parents, but tears had a mind of their own, she found out.

"I want you to make me _proud_ for once." Her voice rose with every word, sounding slightly demonic. "_Stop _crying. I thought I stopped changing your diapers when you were two." Kurenai bit her lip, trying her best to hold back more words. "Why can't you be like Hitoshi and do something right for a change?"

"Why can't you be a _mum_?" she exclaimed, her voice breaking in to small sobs soon after.

"How _dare _you talk to me like that? I am your _mother_, Kurenai, remember that!"

The teenager fiercely wiped her tears away. _'Stop crying... stop crying... Im here for you.' _To somebody else, it would have sounded strange that she was comforting herself, but to Kurenai it was a sure way to calm herself. "I'm sorry, Mother. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."

The proud woman stood up straight and continued to glare at her. "The day you begin to behave like an adult is the day I will treat you like one. Grow up, Kurenai, or quit being a shinobi. You won't deserve the honour." She went to put her shoes on and opened the door, gently sliding it to one side. "I have a mission. Tidy up and the mess and do something productive."

"Yes, Mother."

"And wear your uniform, Kurenai. You look ridiculous."

"Yes, Mother," she whispered for the last time and waited for her to leave before she grabbed a cloth to dry up the spill. "I couldn't even make it to the end..." she said to herself, referring to the fact that she had apologised to her mother instantly, with so much left unsaid.

Kurenai went outside, afterwards, obeying her mother's orders. "I have to train..." She looked at the bark of tree that stood lifelessly, staring back at her, as if it was trying its best to hold back its laughter. "Yeah, training is everything!" she shouted on top of her voice, kicking it as hard as she could, out of frustration, followed by punches.

_'She'll probably want me to train if I was dying!' _Her legs began to tremble as soon as she came to terms with what had just happened. She collapsed on to the floor, panting and cursing herself.

Maybe her mother was right, Kurenai wondered. Maybe she did not deserve to be a Chuunin; what made her any better than anyone else? She was no different from some little brat at the Academy, wanting to be Hokage. The only thing that stood out about her were her red eyes.

She tilted her head back, to look at the sky, and laughed. This was the longest conversation she had had with her mother and, yet, she could not feel any lonelier.

* * *

Despite having thoughts of not going, Kurenai forced herself to attend the meeting with her team. She had never felt so pitiable and empty before, like one of those cheap inns that were usually vandalised for the reason that they had lost their worth. But, even an idiot would have known better than to sit, uselessly, until her mother came home. 

As routinely, she was late, and, as expected, Aiya and Genji sat in their customary swings, whereas Etsuya stood. Kurenai had waited for the day that she would have been glad to see them, and that moment was now. She hid a smirk by lowering her face as she entered the park.

"You're late."

"Yeah. Sorry about that."

"Oh?" Etsuya observed her carefully as she sat down between the two boys. "Are you apologising for being late?"

"Yeah! She said 'sorry'. What are you up to?"

Kurenai glowered at Aiya. "Oh, just shut up!" Though, secretly, she was amused herself.

"It doesn't matter," their teacher began as he leaned on the fence behind him. "We have more important things to discuss."

"What is it?"

"Only a mission." He grinned. "Unless you wanted to do something else?"

"It must be serious if you had to call us out in the evening to assign it," Genji supposed.

"It's a C-rank mission, but that's only been decided from what we've assumed. It's been revealed, or, rather, leaked to an ANBU member that the enemy is planning to carry out a surprise attack, disguised at travellers."

"That's stupid," Kurenai barged in. "They know that we'll figure out who they are."

"So, it's a trap?"

"Exactly. They've made it easy for us to know what they're planning so that we can send out some of our best shinobi to fight. It's not a secret that Konoha is lacking in power and forces."

"It's a distraction, then? They want to keep our best forces away from the village for an invasion."

"As confirms the source of the leak. They must want us to think that they're strong Jounin, so we send out our best, too. Our guesses are that they're at a Chuunin level."

"Wait a minute," she interrupted again. "Wouldn't they know that we'd figure this all out?"

"Perhaps," he began, correcting his glasses. "That's why we've been assigned this mission to find out. We are three Chuunin and one Jounin; it's more than enough to handle this situation."

"And what's if we're wrong? What if they _are _stronger than us?"

Etsuya smiled once more, this time, with assurance. "Well, you have me, don't you?"

Kurenai shook her head, unconvinced. "You may be a Jounin, but we're not! And I've only just become a Chuunin; I don't have the experience for these kind of missions!"

"Calm down, Kurenai. All of the missions that you've done are with Genji and Aiya, which is practically you getting your 'experience'. You're just as good as these two.

"I don't care what you say; we can't turn this mission down. At the moment, we're one of the strongest teams around, since everybody else is out of Konoha, caught up in their own operations. It also doesn't mean that I'm telling you to underestimate the enemy, because they might just be as strong as us, or even more." For a moment, he paused. "Nonetheless, we'll fight. It's what we do."

"What's the plan, then?"

"We have to prepare a successful ambush. Setting up traps in advance will be risky, as they will probably check the paths tonight. We have to track the direction they travel through and take it from there." He pulled out a scroll from his jacket pocket and opened it up on the ground. The three of them kneeled down to look.

"We've chosen the most likely trails that they'll head for, since the rest of them are well protected by our shinobi. I'll be standing watch at the root of them all, before the paths fork out." He pointed to a mark that was previously made on the map. "Once I've determined which way they're heading, I'll retreat to where you three will be stationed. From there, we'll head on to set our traps."

"Won't the enemy expect all this, though?"

"That's the entire point. We have to be careful and successful during the entire time, and, then, find a chance to attack. It will be the closest to the village that we can afford to let them go. By then, they will probably have the idea that we've been waiting for them in the wrong place since we would never let them come close to Konoha.

"As for traps, I'll assign you each certain ones to set, which suits you to the best of your abilities. Aiya; I want you to place tags in certain areas." Etsuya took out another scroll and handed it to his student. "This is a layout of the general outline of the tags that you'll set. Of course, when we get a better look at out surroundings, I'll adjust it a bit. You _must _make sure that they are well covered up. We can't risk anything."

"Ok!" the boy replied, enthusiastically.

"Genji, I want you to use your chakra strings to set up constructive traps." Once again, he took out another scroll, slightly larger than Aiya's. "I've had an ANBU member help map this out and I trust your instincts well enough to know that you'll do a good job. But, I'll be checking on both of your work."

Genji nodded and opened up the scroll to scrutinise his commands. "This is too accurate."

"Like I said, we're not risking anything."

"I don't know; this'll take time."

"We'll have enough of that; they'll be walking at a decent pace, I suspect; it would be suspicious if they were running. Besides, you're good at meeting deadlines." He turned to look at the last Chuunin. "Kurenai, I want you to cast genjutsu to lead them off track if they decide to move in a different direction."

"Wait, what?" His words had caught her off guard; she had been expecting to be assigned something similar to the others.

"You're the best at using genjutsu out of you three and the most reliable, too. You'll be fine."

"What if they see right through it? Can't you-"

"I have something else to do," he firmly stated. "You'll only need to do this if they decide to change course, to lead them back to where we will have set traps. If not, be ready to attack."

"But-"

"You don't have a choice in the matter, Kurenai. If you don't want to do this, then leave now."

_'You know I won't leave,' _she mused, not moving from her spot.

"Then just do as you're told." Etsuya went in to further detail of what sort of traps were meant to be set by Aiya and the type of genjutsu Kurenai may have had to use. "We'll be leaving early to station ourselves," he finally concluded as he rolled up the scroll and placed it back in to his vest pocket. "It's not that far from here, but be ready at four."

"In the _morning_? That means we only get nine hours of sleep!"

"You'd better hurry home, then, children. I expect you _all _to be punctual and refreshed." He momentary looked at Kurenai and, then, Aiya, who avoided eye contact. "You can all go now."

_'Finally.'_

"Except for you, Kurenai."

'_Great. This is _exactly _what I need from him- another lecture about being a stupid ninja.'_

The other two strolled off, leaving her and Etsuya alone. "What did I do?" she asked, without delay, her face was ready to erect the expression of rage. "I haven't done anything wrong."

"I know."

She dismantled the stiff position that her body took upon. "No?" she asked, surprised.

"Of course not; why would you think that?" Kurenai did not reply and, instead, made her way back to her swing. "You know tomorrow's an important day, right?"

"Obviously I do."

"Kurenai, I've known you long enough to read your expressions and thoughts-"

_'Yeah, right! You don't know anything.'_

"-and I'll guess that you're completely doubting this right now, correct?"

"Somewhat…yeah." Etsuya sat down on to the ground, something that no one from Kurenai's team was used to seeing, especially outside of missions. "If you think that I won't show, you don't have to worry, Etsuya-Sensei."

"Oh, I _know _you'll show. It's the way you've been behaving that's worrying me."

Kurenai shifted on her swing, having hopes of ending the discussion sometime soon. "I'm sorry if I seem like I can't cope, but I'll do my best. I _know _I can do this."

"You shouldn't lie; there's no point to it." The student fell silent, another lesson learned from her teacher. "Why did you become a ninja, Kurenai?"

She chuckled. "Because my parents made me."

Etsuya passed off a small laugh. "Fair enough… Do you like it?"

Kurenai had the option to shrug everything off and find an excuse to go home; though, he was the only person who had asked her if she enjoyed doing what she did. Would it have been wise to shrug it off with such ease? "I do… But, I don't. If that makes any sense…"

"If you were forced in to it, then why do you want to become stronger?"

"If I don't, then my parents will be disappointed."

"Perhaps. But, you got hurt at the idea that you became a Chuunin after Aiya and Genji, so there _must _be some attachment to what you do."

"I guess…" she murmured. Kurenai had grown to enjoy being a shinobi. Alongside the fact that it gave her a sense of direction in life, she had gained friends who she would have died for, even if she would not have admitted it any time soon. Nevertheless, there were still a few uncertainties that she wanted clarity of. "Sometimes, I just wonder what the point is."

"What do you mean?"

"I've enjoyed these past few years, but I still don't understand the _point _of being a 'Konoha shinobi' apart from becoming strong enough to be Hokage."

"Well, what would you do if, one night, your family was attacked?"

"Nothing. They'd beat up whoever it is."

"Well, imagine if your mother, father and brother were all helpless and on the floor, dying." Kurenai understood his point and nodded her head, an unspoken conformity. "This village is like your family. If you see somebody being attacked on the street, you'd protect them because you know you have the strength to.

"Most shinobi don't understand this until they've experienced it. But, I know that you wouldn't stand around if someone was about to die. Now, imagine if the assailant was a Jounin. Would you fight, even if you know you're weak and could die?"

She pondered for a moment. "I don't know."

"You should," he softly spoke, resisting a slight frown. "It's your duty as a ninja to risk your life. You can't run away if you think you can't do anything- you have to _try _to find out. Most of the time, people don't want to risk the chance of being weaker than the enemy, so they train. They become strong for their village, and it's what the Hokage do. They protect us because they _can_."

Kurenai was expecting a gratifying sensation to strike her, like an epiphany or change of mind, though nothing happened. Everything that Etsuya said had made sense and even made her purpose understandable, but maybe it was not enough,

"What if I can't stay and fight, tomorrow? What if I run off because I'm too weak to protect Konoha?"

"Kurenai, _stop _thinking that you're worthless. Right now, we're at war. Jounin, Chuunin and even _Genin _are risking their lives as we speak, just so that they can shield their village. Even those who feel weak stop to fight and _that _is what makes them powerful. If they can do it, then why can't you?

"Stop thinking that you're a kid who needs help, but a person who gives hope to others. This mission is important; protect Aiya and Genji like they will you."

"What about you?" she enquired, feeling ridiculous for seeming as if she was seeking consolation.

"No need to worry about me. I'll be protecting you three."

An awkward moment swept by and nothing was said. For Kurenai, this was the most she had ever discussed about her thoughts. Whenever she spoke to Etsuya, it seemed as if it was his job to give her confidence. That night, however, he gave the impression that he wanted to listen. Only Hitoshi had ever done that before.

"You better go home," he said, violating the peace, as he got up from the ground and wiped dirt off from his uniform, "It's getting dark."

She agreed and stood up, too. "Thank you," she said. "This is kind of weird. I was expecting you to shout at me, or something… So, thanks."

"It's alright. But, I have one problem."

"What?"

"I'm going to say it one last time, Kurenai. _Stop _cracking your knuckles."

"Oh." She blushed and placed her hands by her sides. "Sorry… I can't help it."

"You have to help it. Understand?"

"Yeah…" She marched out of the park, feeling fairly fulfilled. Strangely enough, one conversation with her mother made her feel feeble. Another with her sensei, and Kurenai, for the first time, felt needed.

It was breathtaking.

* * *

The only person at home was Hitoshi, who had just arrived, after completing a mission. It was rare for the two siblings to have the entire house to themselves, but neither of them was in any mood to take advantage. 

"Where were you?" he asked as she joined him on the settee.

"I had a meeting about a mission."

"I saw Mother."

"Yeah?" She tried to make it seem as if she did not care.

He nodded. "She told me to make sure that you were preparing for tomorrow's mission."

"Oh…" Kurenai was hoping that her mother had wanted to make sure that she was feeling fine.

"What happened?" She explained what had been said earlier on- rather than ignoring him- leaving out a few details. "Why did you do that for?"

She sighed and rubbed her eyes, showing signs of weariness. "I don't know. I couldn't help it. She just wouldn't stop… making me feel horrible."

"And here was me thinking that you were used to this by now." Hitoshi smiled at her and she returned it back, somewhat humoured. "You know she loves you."

"I've heard you say that too many times, now."

"Only because I mean it. We both know that she can be strict, but she's out mother and only understands the world from what she's experienced. Our grandparents were probably worse than her…"

Kurenai had never thought of it in those terms. The upbringing of her parents had never been mentioned, let alone discussed, so it hardly occurred to her that her mother was doing what she thought was best. "Hitoshi-niichan…"

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

He placed his head back and closed his eyes. "What is it?"

"What do you do with power once you have it?"

Immediately, he leaned forward and looked at her. "That's kind of random, isn't it?"

She ignored his comment and continued. "Doesn't it get boring? Hokage-Sama must be fed up of having no more goals and reasons to become stronger. They've both reached their limits, haven't they?"

"Protecting the village is a goal. Looking after us is a _reason_, Kurenai." He ruffled her hair, playfully. "You'll find out one day. Just give it time."

**tbc**


End file.
